The great banjo virtuoso Barney McKenna plays his standard selection of reels in Stuttgart on 3rd November 2011. The Maid behind the bar / The Boyne hunt / The Shaskeen Reel & The High Reel.
I was 13 when I first saw this live. This man made me idol the banjo and made me want to play it. my granda bought me my first banjo and said don't come back until I hear you play it at a family session. I'm not a musical person and far from it. I turned to my dad and said one day I'm gonna play that tune. I'm now 23 and I'm privileged to say I've mastered the banjo and played this song to my grandfather and to my dad. Barney was my first inspiration and I hope his memory will never die as a piece of him lives within me. Barney you where the man that made me pick up the instrument and I hope I'm the man to inspire others. Rip. ❤️
My God if you think the Maestro could play the Tenor Banjo here you should have heard him when he had youth on his side in the 60's and 70's. Blisteringly Brilliant. RIP, never forgotten my friend.
I love how he just fiddles away when he starts, like he forgot how the tune went. And then all of a sudden it comes flowing out. The man was a magician with his instrument, what a talent.
barney was the most unique individual ive ever met, i wish i could have met him once more. he was incredibly kind, and very certain about the world. i will never forget him!
Godspeed Barney Banjo McKenna...... God will be blessed with You'r heavently Banjoplaying.... And You will live forever in our hearts and memories......
R.I.P.Barney this was the tune Barney played at every single gig, Hope they bury his paragon with him, cant see the dubliners keeping going with the loss of Barney
With the bit of a stretch in the evenings, the story of the Dubliners doing a concert down the country comes to mind. For some reason or other, the concert was cancelled, and the lads headed for the nearest pub around 9pm, needless to say, they drank into the early hours, and upon exiting the pub at around 5am when dawn was breaking, Barney turns to Ronnie and remarks, ''Ah Ronnie, but isn't there a great stretch in the evenings all the same!''
God Bless ya Barney. I was raised to think you were a Rebel against Society, but in your last years I had the honour of serving you nearly every day. I realised you were not a Rebel , you were a lighthouse. I promise to do all I can to keep that light burning.
I have been a lifelong fan of barney and have met him countless times and have played with him a few times too, he was the sole reason I took up the banjo to begin with, his technique and overall playing did start to suffer In his final years due to advancing age and failing health but in his prime no one played a meaner banjo than barney, by no means was he technically flawless but it's pretty fair to say if it wasn't for him the instrument wouldn't be as popular as it is now, he was and always will be my hero, r.i.p to a legend
+Paddy Byrne Very Nice Paddy. I used to go into O'Donoghues back in ''63 and joined in all the Great craic. I came out to Boston in mid '64. I'm retired now in Boston . Cheers
Thumbs down folks on here are morons No one ever cared if he missed the odd note now and then....... this was live performance and plus maybe he had a few pints. He played from the heart. All the Dubliners were legends that sadly we will never see again.........they were golden days back then Barney played the 4 string tenor banjo with a plectrum......Earl Scruggs was the master of the 5 string banjo. He used finger and thumb picks........both legends no longer with us.......RIP to 2 of the finest players ever
Great to learn (after all those years) that Banjo music features prominently in Irish culture. I must have missed quite a lot during my early days - serving as a young 'squaddy' in UK armed forces.
how can this performance have 44 dislikes. it must be from morons who listen to music only produced with a computer. this is actual music and it makes you want to get up and dance.
Joseph Christensen, the dislikes are from people who have no friends, because they are boring, not funny or just plain ugly and disliking things is the only way, they can get people to communicate with them.
No, I can´t aggree with you! Maybe it is fun and passion for those, who clap their hands, but it´s torture for those, who want to listen to this wunderful music. I´ve heard them live frequently, mostly because of Barney´s soli, but the egoistic clapping of (most of the time drunk) people always was hell for me. I love the music, the banjo, the mandolin and Barney Mc Kenna, - and I miss him! RIP, Banrey
Ah Barney, I had the very good luck to see you in Reading a couple of weeks before God wanted you for his band. I'm sure they are now having the Craic in Heaven!